


More than Words

by Arwennicole



Category: Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, Power Rangers Dino Thunder, Power Rangers Turbo, Power Rangers Zeo, Power Rangers in Space
Genre: Children, F/M, Family, Kidnapping, Marriage, Marriage Proposal, Obsession, Stalking, Young Love
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-04-22
Updated: 2018-05-09
Packaged: 2019-04-26 13:13:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Underage
Chapters: 7
Words: 11,144
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14402877
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Arwennicole/pseuds/Arwennicole
Summary: After a tragedy, Ashley's life is turned upside down and she refuses to talk. But she finds that a connection with people can go beyond words.





	1. The New Kid

**Author's Note:**

  * For [AshleyHammondAstroYellow](https://archiveofourown.org/users/AshleyHammondAstroYellow/gifts).



Running, that's all she could think about was running. She let out a shriek as she just barely made it to the other side of the street during a crosswalk, cars blowing their horns as they barely missed her. She stopped and rested her hands on her knees a she was attempting to catch her breath again.

Looking at her watch, she made a face when she saw that she was still running late. She could see the Youth Center the next block over. Gathering her strength, fourteen-year-old Ashley Hammond ran down the block.

Reaching the Youth Center, she was relieved to see that the competition hadn't started yet. She rushed down the stairs, trying to make it to the other side where her friends were waiting for her when a leg nearly collided with her head. She immediately ducked out of the way, but she had lost her balance and fell on the floor with a yelp. "Whoa! Sorry, I didn't see you," a voice told her. Looking up, she stared up at a guy around her foster sister's age with shoulder-length wavy dark brown almost black hair and equally dark eyes. He held out his hand to her. "You okay?" he asked. She nodded, grasping his forearm and he pulled her up. "You're not hurt are you?" he asked. Ashley shook her head.

"Sorry, I wasn't watching where I was going," she signed to him.

He shook his head. "The point in martial arts is being aware of our surroundings, obviously I forgot," he answered. Ashley smiled a little. "My name is Tommy," he stated, "You are?"

"Ashley," she signed back.

"Ashley, are you looking for someone?" he asked.

She nodded, pointing to the group of teenagers on the other side. "You're Jason's opponent?" she signed.

"Looks like it," he replied.

Ashley gave him a slight nod. "Good luck, both of you," she signed before walking away.

"See ya," he answered.

Kimberly Hart raised her brow as Ashley walked over to her. "Well, that was a near disaster," she quipped. Ashley flushed.

"I got caught up at dance class," she signed.

"It's okay, you're here now," Kimberly replied, wrapping her arm around her shoulders.

Kimberly embraced the younger girl, making Ashley smile and hug her back. "How was dance class?" she asked.

"Good," Ashley signed.

Kimberly kissed the top of her head. "You've got this, Jason," they heard Trini say.

"I hope so," Jason replied.

Ashley walked over, embracing Jason around the waist. "Hey, glad you could make it," Jason told the younger girl. Ashley pulled back.

"There was no way I was going to miss this," She signed to him.

Jason hugged her again and Ashley hugged him a little tighter. "Alright, go for it," Zack told his friend. Jason let out a deep breath, going out onto the mats. Ashley stood next to Kimberly, watching the match. Ever since Ashley was eight-years-old, she had been living in the Hart household. Ashley easily became the little sister Kimberly never had. Ashley bit her lower lip, leaning against Kimberly as they watched the competition.

The competition ended in a draw for both competitors, Ashley couldn't help but notice her foster sister staring dreamily at Tommy. "Someone has a crush," Ashley signed teasingly at her. Kimberly playfully nudged her.

"We'll see him at school tomorrow maybe?" Trini suggested.

Kimberly nodded before the girls walked away to the juice bar.

That night, the girls arrived home and Mrs. Hart looked up. "How was it today?" she asked.

"It was a draw," Kimberly replied.

"But Kimberly saw a cute boy," Ashley signed.

Kimberly gave her a small glare and Ashley just smiled innocently. "Oh is that so?" Mrs. Hart asked, smiling at her daughter.

"It's nothing, mom," Kimberly insisted.

Mrs. Hart just smirked. "Well, dinner will be ready shortly," she informed them. Ashley went to put her backpack upstairs when she walked by a picture on the mantelpiece. It was of Mrs. Hart when she was a teenager, but she had two guys and a girl standing next to her.

The first of the guys was Ashley's father, he had dark brown hair and brown eyes, and he was wearing an Angel Grove High football uniform. His arm was around the other girl's waist, she had shoulder-length blond hair and hazel eyes. She had on a pair of black boots, blue jeans, a purple long shirt, and she had a single red carnation tucked behind her ear.

Mrs. Hart saw Ashley staring and walked over to her. "Your dad was quite the guy in high school," she commented. Ashley smiled a little, glancing at her foster mother. "He always had eyes for Sandra Scott too," she added.

"Dad never mentioned her," She signed.

Mrs. Hart shrugged her shoulders. "Kind of a sad story really, our senior year she just…disappeared," she replied. Ashley frowned, picking up the picture. "She and your dad broke up a week before graduation and then…none of us heard from her ever again," she added. Ashley bit her lower lip. "Your father loved you very much," Mrs. Hart added.

"I know," Ashley signed, "And I miss him."

"I know," Mrs. Hart answered, hugging the girl.

Ashley smiled sadly before she went upstairs and Mrs. Hart set the picture up on the mantelpiece again.

At school the next day, Ashley and Kimberly walked in together when they saw Jason waiting for them. "Hey," he greeted. Ashley waved at him smiling. "Ready for another awesome day at Angel Grove High?" he quipped as they walked down the hall.

"Sure, I have a test in biology today," she signed.

"Which she is going to ace!" Kimberly replied, wrapping her arm around Ashley's shoulders.

Ashley rolled her eyes. "You have way too much faith in my abilities," she signed.

"We studied for days on that test, you better ace it," Kimberly replied.

"Yeah, yeah," Ashley signed with a half-smirk.

Jason just grinned. "Alright, I will see you guys later," he told them.

"See ya!" Kimberly answered as Ashley waved.

The girls walked over to their lockers and once again, Bulk and Skull were there waiting for Kimberly. Kimberly rolled her eyes as she opened the door to her locker. "Hey, babe," Skull greeted her as he leaned against the locker next to hers, "Do you need a big, strong man to help carry your books for you?" He flexed his non-existent bicep, making Ashley roll her eyes.

"Dream on, Skull," she replied.

Bulk and Skull looked at each other. "I think it's time to teach her a lesson," Bulk commented. Ashley shook her head slowly as she leaned against another locker, waiting for her sister to get her books.

"Hey," a voice called out, making them all look up.

They saw the new kid from the competition there. "Didn't you hear the lady?" he demanded Bulk and Skull, "She said 'no'." The two bullies looked at each other.

"I think we should teach the new kid a lesson," Bulk commented.

Ashley watched with a smirk as Tommy did a bunch of martial arts moves to the two bullies, forcing them to run away terrified. Kimberly was giggling hysterically as the two bullies ran away terrified. "Thanks, that was great," Kimberly told him.

"No problem, see ya," he answered as he went to walk away.

Ashley picked her backpack up off the floor. "Hey!" Kimberly called out to him. Tommy stopped and turned around to look at her. "Um…I'm Kimberly…you're new around here aren't you?" she asked.

"Yeah, I'm Tommy," he replied, holding out his hand.

"Hi," Kimberly said smiling, shaking his hand.

Ashley just smiled as she left for her first class.

After school that day, Ashley was sitting at the table she normally sat at while Kimberly kept glancing over her shoulder. Ashley rolled her eyes, putting her book down. "What are you waiting for?" she signed. Kimberly let out a sigh.

"Sorry…I just…I thought Tommy would come," she replied, "I invited him to meet us here."

Ashley frowned to see the disappointment on her face. "Maybe he was caught up," Ashley signed. Kimberly frowned, but nodded in agreement.

"Yeah, maybe," she replied with a sigh.

Ashley patted her hand with a smile and Kimberly smiled back, holding her hand.


	2. Fear

Ashley was sitting in Billy’s car with Kimberly and Billy, going over some more notes for her class just in case the teacher decided on a pop quiz, since this teacher was prone to do. Kimberly glanced at Ashley. “How is she?” Billy asked.

“She’s the same, no change, mom said she’ll talk when she’s ready,” Kimberly replied.  
“Sometimes when a person goes through a catastrophic traumatic event in their lives, their brains only way to protect the person from experiencing it again is they cut off basic human capabilities. Sometimes it’s another form of Obsessive Compulsion Disorder or they can turn to something harder. It looks like Ashley’s way to dealing with what happened to her is just not speaking at all,” Billy explained.

Kimberly blinked her eyes slowly at her friend’s long rant about her sister’s condition. Billy saw that he lost her. “I agree that Ashley will talk when she’s ready to talk,” he finished.

“Thanks,” she answered, giving him a smile.

They arrived at school and Ashley got out of the car. They walked inside the school and they spotted Tommy at his locker. “I’ll see you later,” Ashley signed to her. 

“Sounds good,” Kimberly answered as Ashley went to walk away.

Ashley reached her locker, grabbing her books out when she heard fighting in the next hall. She frowned and went to investigate. “Newsflash, Kimberly, you’re not the center of everyone’s universe,” she heard Tommy say.

“Well excuse me for living!” Kimberly snapped before walking away.

Ashley grabbed Kimberly’s arm. “What’s going on?” she asked.

“I have no idea, he’s just being a jerk,” Kimberly answered before storming away.

Ashley frowned, looking over at Tommy to see him glaring in her direction. His stare sent a chill down her back. “What are you looking at?” he demanded. Ashley took a couple of steps back before she hurried away. She was racing to her class so fast she ran right into Jason.

“Whoa, easy!” Jason commented.  
“Sorry, I’m sorry,” she signed as she went to gather her books.

Jason helped her gather her stuff. “Hey, what’s going on, you okay?” he asked, noticing how panicked she was. She nodded.

“The new kid is acting really weird,” Ashley signed.  
“How so?” He asked.

Ashley shrugged her shoulders. “Kind of…I don’t know,” she signed. 

“Maybe he’s just having an off day,” he replied.

Ashley nodded as Jason moved his arm around her shoulders, leading her to her next class. “Hey, do you mind picking me up after school today?” she signed to him.

“Sure, isn’t Billy normally driving you and Kimberly home?” he asked.  
“She had something come up,” she signed.  
“Okay, no problem,” Jason assured her.

Ashley sighed in relief and went into her class. Jason waved before heading to his class.

Later that day, Ashley was walking down the hall to meet up with Jason at the library. “Hey, Tommy, listen, something came up and I can’t make it to practice. I hope you understand,” she heard Jason say.

“Yeah, sure, I understand,” Tommy replied.  
“Cool, have you seen Ashley?” Jason asked.

Ashley turned the corner to see Tommy shaking his head. “I haven’t seen her all day,” he replied.

“Well if you see her can you have her meet me out front of the school?” Jason asked.  
“Sure thing,” Tommy replied.

Jason went to walk away when Ashley saw Tommy hold out his hand and suddenly a beam of light struck Jason in the back and then he disappeared. Ashley let out a gasp and her backpack fell to the floor. Tommy looked over when he heard her gasp and the younger girl was frozen in her place as she stared at him. Tommy walked down the first two steps and Ashley ran down the hall, leaving her books behind. He just smirked, his eyes flashing green as the girl ran away.

Ashley ran all the way to the one place that was her safe haven, the dance studio. It was empty, but she didn’t care she was able to open a window and climbed inside. She closed the window behind her and found one of the dance school closets, hiding in it. She sat in the corner with her knees pulled up to her chest with tears in her eyes. 

Later on, Kimberly let out a breath as she rubbed the back of her neck, Jason was gone and Zordon was trapped in another dimension. She was sitting at the Juice Bar when Ernie walked up. “Hey, Kimberly,” he called to her. She looked up.

“Hey, Ernie,” she answered.  
“Your mom’s on the phone, she’s looking for you,” Ernie informed her, holding up the phone.

Kimberly smiled a little, taking the phone. “Hey, mom,” Kimberly answered.

“Kimberly, is Ashley with you?” Mrs. Hart asked.  
“No, she was supposed to get a ride from Jason after school,” Kimberly replied.  
“Well she’s not here,” Mrs. Hart informed her.

Kimberly’s stomach twisted. “I’ll find her, mom,” she assured her mother before hanging up, “Ernie, have you seen Ashley?”

“Not today,” Ernie replied.

Letting out a breath, she couldn’t even begin to think of where Ashley could have gone. She slid off the stool and left the Youth Center.

Running back to the school, Kimberly pulled open the doors and rushed inside, hoping that she would find her sister. “Ashley!” she called out. She looked through the halls. “Ashley?” she called out again, looking for any sign of the girl. Racing around the corner, she stopped when she saw Ashley’s red backpack with yellow stars laying on the floor with all of her books scattered everywhere.

“Kimberly,” Billy called for her, making her look up.

Trini, Zach, and Billy rushed up to her. “Did you find out anything?” Zach asked.

“No, I can’t even find Ashley now,” Kimberly replied, “And this is her backpack.”  
“Don’t worry, we’ll find her,” Trini reassured her.

Trini gripped her shoulder reassuringly. “Let’s split up, Kim, where else would she be?” Zack asked.

“She could either be in the library, the Youth Center, the cemetery, or the dance studio,” Kimberly rambled off.  
“She wasn’t at the Youth Center, I’ll check the library, Billy and you head over to the cemetery, Trini and I will go to the dance studio,” Zack replied.

Kimberly nodded and they ran in their separate directions to search for Ashley.

Arriving at the cemetery, Kimberly and Billy looked around. “Do you think she’d come over here by herself?” Billy asked.

“It wouldn’t be the first time,” Kimberly replied, “This is one of her safe zones.”

Kimberly let out a breath as she looked over at the usual trees she would find Ashley sitting in. “Is your mom still working with her to try to rehabilitate her to be able to communicate again?” Billy asked.

“All the time, but mom doesn’t push her,” Kimberly replied, “If she pushes her, it sends her further back into her shell.”

Billy nodded in understanding. “What she went through, no kid should have to go through. Just…the incident in itself…” Kimberly trailed off. 

“She’s resilient. I’m sure she will find the ability to communicate one day again. Since we all know Ashley very well, she will surprise us with it,” he replied.

The Pink Ranger couldn’t help but smile at her friend, knowing he was absolutely right. They walked over to a headstone and Kimberly bent down, brushing the leaves and the dirt off it and it read:

Samuel Ray Hammond  
Born August 3rd, 1958-August 3rd, 1987  
Loving Son, Father, and Friend

Kimberly let out a heavy sigh and Billy stood beside her with his hand on her shoulder. “I just hope Ashley’s okay,” she said softly.

Ashley had moved herself further back in the closet when she heard the doors to the dance studio open. She heard more doors open and close, she closed her eyes tight hoping that Tommy wouldn’t find her. She heard the door to the dance studio she was in open up and heard two pairs of footsteps enter the room. Her heart was racing in her chest; her stomach was twisting so much she thought she would be sick. She heard the footsteps get closer to the door and Ashley tried to push herself further against the wall.

The door opened and Ashley let out a scream of pure fear and terror. “Ashley, it’s us,” a familiar voice assured her. Ashley opened her eyes and saw Trini was crouched in front of her. The fourteen-year-old let out a sob, hugging Trini around the neck.

“Are you hurt?” Zack asked as Trini helped her up.

Ashley shook her head and they could see that the girl was shaking. Zack rubbed her back and Trini led the girl out of the studio. 

They were back at the front of the Youth Center, Kimberly ran over to the girl. “Ashley, oh my gosh,” she said relieved, embracing the younger girl.

“Something scared her, she was hiding in the dance studio,” Zack informed her.  
“What happened? Why were you hiding in there?” Kimberly pulled back, holding onto the girl’s hands.

Ashley was shaking and she was looking from right to left, searching for Tommy lurking around the corner. She shook her head, hugging Kimberly tightly. Kimberly hugged her back and looked at her friends, worriedly. She had no idea what happened to her and Ashely wasn’t talking, which worried her even more.


	3. Trust

The next day, Ashley was sitting in the corner of her bed with her knees pulled up to her chest. “Ashley, you have to go to school,” Kimberly insisted gently. Ashley shook her head slowly. “Ashley, come on,” Kimberly persisted, pulling on her hand. Knowing that Kimberly wasn’t going to leave her alone, she rolled out of bed and went to get ready for the day.

Kimberly couldn’t help but worry, Ashley barely signed after she was found and she was only giving head motions if that. She had no idea what happened, but she couldn’t help but wonder what had happened to her that day.

Ashley was ready for school, she had a clip in her hair to keep her bangs out of her face. “Good morning, Ashley,” Mrs. Hart greeted her, kissing her cheek. Ashley gave her a small smile before leaving the house. Mrs. Hart looked at Kimberly quizzically. “Kimberly, what’s going on?” she asked.

“I don’t know…she’s just been really quiet lately,” Kimberly replied, “I’m sure she’s okay.”

Mrs. Hart nodded before watching her daughter leave. 

The girls arrived at school and Jason was outside waiting. Ashley’s eyes were wide, she immediately ran over and hugged him tightly around the waist. The impact from her hug almost made him fall backwards, but he caught his balance, hugging her back. He was okay, Jason was alive and he was okay. She pulled back and looked relieved. “Hey, you okay?” he asked. Ashley nodded. Jason looked at Kimberly who just shook her head slowly, crossing her arms over her chest as Jason hugged Ashley a little tighter.

During school, Kimberly’s mind was everywhere, after finding out that Tommy was the Evil Green Ranger attacking them, she had been thinking of what to say to him. Then there was the problem of the fact that Ashley wasn’t even speaking with her hands anymore, something happened that frightened her to where the little progress they had made with her had backtracked. She let out a deep breath when a note was tossed on her desk. She opened the note and saw it was from Trini. “We need to talk,” it read.

After class, Kimberly met up with her friends, holding her books to her chest. “What are we going to do about Tommy?” Jason asked, leaning against the lockers.

“Maybe I can find him and talk to him?” she suggested.  
“Do you think it’s a good idea to do that alone?” Trini asked.  
“At this point, what scares me is the fact my sister isn’t even using sign language to talk to me anymore. There’s nothing he can do to scare me,” Kimberly replied.  
“Do you think she saw something?” Zack asked.

Kimberly bit her lower lip. “I hope not,” she admitted.

After school, Kimberly went over to the Youth Center and found Tommy. “Tommy,” she called to him as she walked up to him. Tommy continued to lift weights, giving Kimberly a side glare. She made sure no one was looking as she leaned in close. “I know you’re the Green Ranger,” she said softly. She jumped when he slammed the weights down and an evil smirk appeared on his face.

“Well then, Pink Ranger, then you will know that your protection over this planet will soon come to an end,” he answered.

Kimberly frowned as he got up. “Let us help you,” she insisted, “We can defeat Rita’s power over you.” Tommy swung around, getting up close to her.

“Rita is my Empress, I don’t need your help,” he answered.

Kimberly went after him. “Tommy, this isn’t you,” she insisted, grabbing onto his arm. Tommy swung around, ripping his arm away from her hands.

“And you know that how? By knowing me for two days? Or do you have the naïve notion that everyone’s good?” he asked.

Kimberly was silent. “Why don’t you go worry about your mute baby sister instead of me?” he suggested and his eyes flashed green. Kimberly’s blood ran ice cold in her veins as he gave her a smirk.

“Did you do something to her?” she asked.  
“Why don’t you ask her?” he answered as he walked away, grabbing his bag.

Worry that’s all she could think about as she rushed out of the Youth Center to find Ashley.

Ashley was sitting silently on a swing on the playground, watching forlornly as a little girl was on one of the animal bouncers. “Cara,” a voice called out. The little girl giggled excitedly as she got off the animal.

“Daddy!” she shrieked excitedly, her arms wide open.

Ashley watched the little girl run into her father’s arms and kicked off the sand, swinging back and forth. “Ashley,” Kimberly called out, making her look up. Kimberly walked over and crouched in front of her. “Hey, if I ask you something, can you be honest with the answers?” she asked. Ashley nodded her head slowly. “Did you see something that scared you yesterday?” Kimberly asked.

Ashley kept her eyes on the ground and she started to swing slowly back and forth again. Kimberly grasped the chains to the swing, stopping her. “Ashley,” she said gently. Ashley held up her hands and they shook a little.

“You won’t believe me,” she finally signed.  
“And why wouldn’t I believe you?” Kimberly asked.

Ashley lowered her hands and bit her lower lip as she forced herself to reply. “It is too crazy to explain,” Ashley signed.

“If it scared you, then you should tell me so I can help,” Kimberly replied.

Ashley closed her eyes and tears welled up in her eyes. “Jason disappeared in a green light,” she signed. Kimberly’s eyes were wide with disbelief. “Then Tommy looked at me…he looked so…I don’t know how to describe him,” Ashley signed. Kimberly rubbed her arm gently. “I thought he was going to hurt me,” she signed sadly. Kimberly embraced her and Ashley hugged her tightly and a tear slid down her cheek.

Kimberly had to go help the others fight Tommy again and it was nothing but a relief when they were able to save him from Rita’s spell. Tommy joined their team as their Green Dragonzord Ranger.

Tommy stood at the park, watching as Ashley was sitting on the swings again. “That’s her safe haven,” Kimberly commented, making him look up.

“Of all the places in the world this is her haven?” he asked.  
“She comes here because it brings a smile on her face, even if it’s just a second,” Kimberly replied.

Tommy let out a deep breath. “I was cruel to her,” he commented. Kimberly rubbed his shoulder. 

“Talk to her,” she insisted gently, “Show her that you’re not the cruel person she saw.”

She gave him a reassuring smile and Tommy nodded, walking down the hill towards the younger girl.

Ashley was swinging on her swing, looking up she saw Tommy approach and her eyes went wide. “Wait, Ashley,” he called to her as she went to get off the swing. She stopped and looked at him. “Look, I know what you saw was probably terrifying…probably the scariest thing you had ever seen,” he commented. Ashley bit her lower lip.

“Not the scariest, but it was up there,” she signed.

Tommy sighed and crouched in front of the girl. “I am not a monster, I made a mistake, and I hope you can forgive me for that mistake,” he added. He reached into his back pocket and he held up a yellow rose. “Kimberly said you liked yellow roses,” he commented, “Think of it as a peace offering.” Ashley stared at the rose. “I’m so sorry,” he added, “I am so sorry for what I did and how I scared you. I could never hurt you.”

Ashley didn’t make a move and for a second, Tommy thought that maybe his apology wasn’t enough. Then, she reached out and took the rose. Slowly, she reached out and wrapped her arms around his shoulders in a tight hug. Tommy hugged her back, standing up as she held him tighter.

Kimberly was relieved and she smiled a little, this was the start to something great.


	4. Friends

A month later, Ashley arrived home from school with Kimberly. “Ashley, you have some mail, sweetheart,” Mary Hart called out. Ashley frowned and went into the kitchen where mail sat on the counter. She saw that it was a letter from her mother. Kimberly watched as Ashley ripped up the letter into the smallest pieces she could get.

Tears were showing in her eyes as she started stomping on the pieces and then left the kitchen. Mary frowned and let out a sad sigh as she swept up the mess. “Mom, are you okay?” Kimberly asked.

“It looks like she had another letter from her mother,” Mary replied sadly.

Kimberly frowned and looked up towards where Ashley ran. “She’ll be down later,” Mary reminded her.

“I know,” Kimberly replied.

That night, Ashley was laying in her bed when Kimberly walked into her room. “You could’ve at least cleaned up the mess on the floor,” Kimberly commented.

“I was seeing red,” Ashley signed.

Ashley just stared at the picture of her and her dad on the night stand. “I know you miss him,” Kimberly stated.

“Every day,” Ashley signed.

Kimberly just gave her a sad smile, petting her arm as she walked over to her bed. “Kimberly,” Ashley signed as her sister climbed into bed.

“Yeah,” Kimberly replied.

Ashley thought about her question. “Do you ever think that there’s more to life than just this planet?” she signed. Kimberly sat up on her arm.

“What do you mean like other lifeforms?” Kimberly asked.

Ashley shrugged. “Sort of, like there’s a bigger adventure than just what Earth has to offer. I have a lot of dreams about the stars,” Ashley signed.

“Are you meaning like the Power Rangers are around?” Kimberly suggested.  
“It’s a thought, they have these amazing out of this world technology. Daddy would’ve loved it,” Ashley signed.

Kimberly laughed a little. “Your dad would’ve been out there with his camera while everyone else was running and hiding,” she replied.

“I have taken on those gray putty things, they aren’t that scary,” Ashley signed.

Kimberly just smiled at her younger sister. “You are quite the fighter, Ash,” she commented. Ashley gave her a smile and the two girls went to sleep.

The next day, Ashley and Kimberly were walking together through the park. “I had a crazy dream last night,” Ashley signed.

“Yeah? What did you dream about?” Kimberly answered.  
“Stars, all I saw were stars. Space, and I felt like I was flying,” she signed back.

Ashley just smiled. “I was a Power Ranger,” she signed, making Kimberly smile. The Pink Ranger wrapped her arm around her sister’s shoulders and Ashley leaned into her. “Doubt it’s possible though, you can’t have a Ranger who doesn’t speak,” Ashley signed.

“Anything is possible,” Kimberly assured her.

Ashley wrapped her arm around her sister’s waist with a smile.

Later, they were at the Youth Center. Kimberly sat at the Juice Bar with the others while Jason and Tommy were teaching Ashley some self-defense. “Her ability to pick up self-defense is exceptional for a novice,” Billy commented. Kimberly stopped drinking her smoothie and looked at Trini.

“Ashley’s learning self-defense faster than usual beginners,” Trini told her.

Kimberly smiled as she watched her sister’s class. “She watched Jason for so long, it’s not really surprising that she picked it up,” she replied.

Ashley held her arm up as Tommy moved her to be in the right position. “Hey, keep your thumb on the outside, if you tuck your thumb into your fist you’ll break it on impact,” he informed her. Ashley nodded in understanding, and smiled as both of her friends continued to each her.

Later that day, Ashley was helping Kimberly with her model float for the World Peace Parade when Tommy and Kimberly walked back in with more supplies. Ernie had informed them that he was going to leave for a little while, but they were free to use the Youth Center to make her model. “Hey, you did a great job,” Tommy told Ashley.

“Thank you,” Ashley signed, smiling brightly.  
“The model looks great, Kimberly,” Tommy told her as Kimberly started getting her supplies together.  
“Thanks,” Kimberly replied.

Ashley smiled as she picked up one of the yellow tulip and sniffed it. “I figured you would like those,” Kimberly told her sister, smiling. Ashley leaned into her before placing the flower with another arrangement.

“I thought you liked roses?” Tommy asked.  
“Yellow roses signify friendship, one of my favorite flowers are tulips,” Ashley signed, “My dad would come home every Friday with a fresh tulip from the flower shop that was by his work.”

Kimberly gave her shoulder a gentle squeeze and Ashley went back to working on the float. “You want to know the best part?” Kimberly asked Tommy.

“What’s that?” he asked.  
“They’re going to recycle all the flowers this year,” she replied happily.

Tommy looked at her quizzically. “How do they do that?” he asked.

“Oh it’s simple, they’ll collect all the flowers and turn them into potpourri,” Kimberly replied.

Suddenly, the moment was ruined when putties showed up. Ashley immediately was in the guarding stance next to Kimberly. Ashley ducked as a punch was aimed at her head and easily jumped back to her feet before she did a back flip away from a putty aiming to kick her in the stomach. She kicked a putty in the chest, watching it fall to the ground before she was grabbed from behind. She let out a scream, struggling to get the leverage she needed. The putty suddenly released her and Tommy had his arm around her waist to keep her from falling over.

The putties disappeared and Ashley couldn’t help but feel relieved until she heard sniffling. Looking over, she saw Kimberly sitting on the floor looking at her demolished model crying. Running to her sister’s side, she hugged her gently. “My model is completely destroyed,” she said crying softly.

“Maybe we can help you build another one?” Trini suggested.  
“Rita will wreck those too,” Kimberly replied.

Ashley frowned as Kimberly stood up and ran away crying. She picked up the tulip that was broken in half, biting her lower lip.

They cleaned up the mess and Kimberly sat at the Juice Bar completely heartbroken. She watched as Tommy walked up to Kimberly in the attempt to comfort her and she just gave him a reassuring smile. Ashley smiled a little as she twiddled her thumbs a little. “Listen, I have something I have to take care of but I’ll catch you later,” Tommy told Kimberly. She gave him a small nod and a smile before Tommy left. Ashley looked at the others before she waved and chased after him.

Tommy walked over to his truck, tossing the trash bag when Ashley ran up to him. “Where are you going?” she signed.

“I was going to surprise Kimberly, fix her model and give it to the committee so they can build the float,” he replied.

Ashley beamed brightly. “That’s brilliant, let me help!” she insisted.

“Get in,” he replied.

Ashley ran around the truck and jumped into the passenger’s side.

They arrived at Tommy’s house, she got out of the truck first and looked with wide eyes. The house was big and beautiful; it was almost something out of a storybook. There was even a fence out in the front yard. Tommy grabbed the trash bag out of the truck and looked at Ashley. “Ready?” he asked. She nodded before he opened the gate and they went inside the house.

Tommy looked around. “Mom, I’m home,” he called out. Ashley watched a woman exited the kitchen and she smiled.

“What’s in the bag?” she asked.  
“A project, mom, this is Ashley Hammond,” Tommy replied.

Mrs. Oliver smiled at Ashley. “Hello, Ashley, Tommy has told me all about you and your sister, Kimberly,” she commented.

“It’s nice to meet you, Mrs. Oliver,” Ashley signed.  
“It is very lovely to meet you,” Mrs. Oliver replied.

Ashley looked at Tommy. “Hey, mom, we’re going to be working in the garage,” he informed her.

“Please don’t forget to pick up the mess when you’re done? Your father wants to be able to get his car into the garage tonight,” Mrs. Oliver answered.  
“Sure thing,” he agreed before they walked away.

They were working on the model and Tommy smiled at Ashley. “How’s your side coming?” he asked.

“It’s going,” she replied.

Tommy gave her a slight nod and grabbed his paintbrush. Ashley used her paintbrush to tap the table and he looked at her. “You haven’t asked to why I don’t speak,” she signed. Tommy gave her a gentle smile.

“I figured you will tell me when you’re ready,” he replied.

Ashley painted the tiger and let out a deep breath, tapping her brush again. “I haven’t seen my mom in six years, she is the reason why I don’t speak,” she signed. Tommy frowned, putting his paintbrush back, looking at her. “Oh my dad’s birthday, my parents were fighting because my dad wanted a divorce and he wanted to move me back to Angel Grove. He hated San Francisco,” she signed. Tommy was silent, letting her continue with what she felt she should tell him, not wanting to pressure her into anything.

Ashley swallowed as the tears showed. “My parents were fighting because my dad had my mom sign a prenuptial agreement so she wasn’t entitled to any of his current salary he would be getting at his new job and because she had shown signs of neglecting me, my dad was to get full custody of me. I just remember that I didn’t want them to fight because it was my dad’s birthday and I had saved my allowance to get him something for his new job at NASADA. My dad went to get the present from me when I heard what sounded like a firecracker went off…but then…I remember something sprayed on me and I thought it was water, but water wasn’t red,” she trailed off. Tommy saw the tears in her eyes and Ashley chewed her bottom lip. “He was on the floor, I remember looking at my mother and she just had this crazed, victorious smirk on her face. I saw her pull out the gun even before the shot went off, but I didn’t register what it was onto daddy was on the floor. I didn’t warn him,” she signed, “It was my fault.”

Tommy shook his head as he sat beside her. “Ashley, it wasn’t,” he assured her, wrapping his arm around her. She let out a shaky breath.

“How can I speak regularly if I couldn’t even warn my dad that he was in danger?” she signed.

Tommy hugged the distraught girl and Ashley leaned into him as the tears fell. “I could never be a Power Ranger, I’m not strong enough,’ she signed. Tommy hushed her softly, rubbing her back.

“You are,” he replied, “You’re stronger than you think.”

Ashley let out a breath, wiping her eyes before looking at the model. “We have work to do,” she signed. Tommy nodded and went back over to the model when his communicator went off. Ashley frowned, his watch made the same noise as Kimberly and the others’ did. 

“Hey, I’ll be right back,” he told her.

Ashley nodded and he ran out of the room and she went back to work on the model.

When Tommy came back, they were able to finish the model and take it over to the committee so they could build the float for the parade.

When it came time for the parade, Ashley watched as Kimberly stared in disbelief as her float was shown going down the street. “Is that my float?” she asked in disbelief.

“Surprise!” the others exclaimed.  
“Tommy and Ashley put it back together for you,” Trini told her friend.

Kimberly looked at them both and embraced them. “Thank you,” she said happily. Ashley smiled as she released her sister and let her hug Tommy, giving her friend a small wink before looking back at the television.


	5. The Dance

It was a few weeks later when Ashley walked around school noticing the upcoming dance posters. She walked over to her locker, trying to find her books for her next class. Aaron Myles walked over to her. “Hey, Ashley,” he called out, making her look up. Ashley was a bit surprised, hardly anyone in her grade level ever spoke to her. “So listen, I was wondering do you have a date to the dance?” he asked. Ashley shook her head slowly. “What would you say to going to the dance with me?” he asked.

All this while, they didn’t notice that Jason had walked around the corner as Aaron had asked. “Sure, I would love to,” Ashley signed.

“Come on what would you say?” he asked.

Ashley’s smile faded a little, realizing what was going on. “Come on, I’m starting to feel a bit foolish when you’re not answering me,” he insisted.

“Hey,” Jason called out, making Aaron look up, “How about walking away while you still have the ability to walk?”

Aaron walked away quickly and Jason looked at Ashley as she grabbed her books. “You okay?” he asked. Ashley nodded as she wiped a stray tear from her face, she hated it when kids still got to her about her inability to speak. Jason walked with her to her next class. “Don’t you let them get to you, Pretty Girl, there’ll be someone for you,” he assured her as he draped his arm around her shoulders. 

“It doesn’t really matter,” Ashley signed.  
“Sure it does,” Jason answered, “You’ll meet someone who will be happy to go out with you, show you off as the right boyfriend does for a girlfriend.”

Ashley couldn’t help but roll her eyes. “A guy who would ever like me would have to be out of this world,” she signed.

“He will be to you,” he replied.

Ashley smiled a little. “You’re a good friend, Jason,” she signed.

“I try to be,” he replied.  
“Well you succeed,” she signed.

Jason smiled. “Hey, what are you doing Sunday? Kimberly and I were talking about having a movie night and inviting everyone over because Mary will be out of town,” Ashley signed. 

“I can’t, my dad wants to hang out at the park on Sunday. This time of year is rough on him,” he replied.

Ashley nodded her head slowly. “How long has she been gone now?” she signed. Jason started counting in his head.

“Eighteen years now,” he replied.  
“I know my dad and your aunt were close at some point,” she signed.  
“Yeah, my dad still has no idea what happened. All of suddenly my Aunt Sandy was just…secretive,” he replied.

Ashley frowned. “Then she was just…gone,” he commented, “My dad’s never stopped searching for her.”

“Your dad is a good man,” she signed.  
“He does his best,” he answered.

Ashley smiled and they continued walking to class.

After school that day, Ashley was walking with Kimberly. “Did Tommy ask you to the dance?” she signed.

“Not yet,” Kimberly replied, “If he does anyways.”  
“Why wouldn’t he? You two have been eyeing each other all year,” Ashley signed.

Kimberly shrugged her shoulders. “I think maybe he sees me as only a friend,” she answered. Ashley wrapped her arm around her sister’s waist as the two of them walked together back to their house.

The next day at school, Ashley walked up and smiled as Jason was waiting for her. “Hey, Ashley,” he called out. Ashley looked back at him. “Mind if I talk to you for a second?” he asked. She nodded as he started walking her to her locker. “I have been thinking, are you interested in going to the dance?” he asked. Ashley shrugged her shoulders.

“Mrs. Hart wants me to go, she said it’s important for girls to go to their first dance. I’m not really looking forward to it. Kind of a bummer when you’re going alone,” she signed.

Jason nodded his head slowly. “Well, I was wondering, how would you like to go to the dance with me?” he asked. Ashley looked at him surprised. “As friends, this is your first high school dance like Mrs. Hart said, and it should be memorable,” he added. Ashley gave him a sincere smile.

“I’d love to,” she signed.  
“Yeah?” he asked.

Ashley gave him a nod. “It’ll be fun,” she signed.

“Cool, I’ll pick you up at 6:30 then,” he replied.  
“I’m looking forward to it,” Ashley signed before she walked to her class.

A week later, Ashley was sitting in the park studying when she saw Kimberly walking down the hill towards Tommy. She wasn’t sure what was going on, but Tommy had been very reclusive and sad lately. He was always looking forward to their lessons, but he was kind of keeping his distance from everyone else which made her frown.

She looked back at her notebook but then she looked up just as Tommy took Kimberly by the hand and kissing her. A bright smile spread across her face, she knew it. She knew that Kimberly and Tommy would end up together and her sister deserved this. She watched as Tommy lifted Kimberly up off the ground and she shrieked excitedly. He had asked her to the dance after all.

That Saturday, Ashley was fixing her hair, curling it when Kimberly walked in wearing a pretty pink dress and her hair was pulled up with little curls framing her face. “You look beautiful,” Kimberly told her. Ashley looked at her and smiled a little. “Why don’t you wear the yellow dress?” she asked. Ashley looked at the dress that was hanging up on the door that Kimberly had picked out for her.

“I don’t know, you don’t think the stars look funny?” Ashley signed.  
“Why would it look funny? You love stars,” Kimberly replied.

Ashley shrugged her shoulders, taking the dress off the door and held it up against her as she looked in the mirror. “It’s a beautiful dress, Ash, you should wear it,” Kimberly insisted. Ashley smiled a little and swung the dress back and forth before agreeing to wear it.

Tommy and Jason had arrived to pick up their date and Mary sighed when the girls walked down the stairs. She immediately started taking pictures. “Mom,” Kimberly said, rolling her eyes a little with a smile.

“This is so exciting!” Mary insisted.

Jason smiled at Ashley. “You look beautiful,” he complimented her as she turned around for him.

“You really like it?” she signed.  
“Yeah, yellow suits you,” he replied.

Ashley smiled and Kimberly gave her sister a wink. “Okay, everyone look over here!” Mary called out. The four teenagers turned around, looking at the camera with their smiles. Mary couldn’t help but smile a little as the teenagers left.

“A Scott and a Hammond all over again,” she commented to herself.

She looked over at the picture of Samuel and Sandra on the mantelpiece and then went to see where could get her pictures developed at this time of day.


	6. Stunned

Kimberly and Tommy were sitting off to the side watching Ashley in her dance class. “She’s great,” Tommy commented.

“She’s never much for ballet,” Kimberly answered.

Tommy just smirked, not knowing that they were being watched. Tommy reached over, holding his girlfriend’s hand and Kimberly leaned against him with a smile.

After her dance class, Kimberly and Tommy walked over to her. “Hey, you were great, Ashley,” Tommy told her.

“Thank you,” Ashley signed.  
“How’s about we take you out for dinner since mom is gone?” Kimberly suggested.

Ashley nodded her head enthusiastically, but then Kimberly’s watch went off. “Shoot,” she muttered, letting out a sigh. Tommy rubbed her arm.

“It’s okay,” he assured her.

Kimberly looked at Ashley. Ashley gave her sister a small smile before Kimberly rushed off. Tommy looked at Ashley. “Ready?” he asked. She nodded as they left the dance studio.

Walking outside, Ashley opened the door to Tommy’s truck to toss her backpack into the backseat. She was suddenly grabbed from behind and she let out a scream. Tommy saw putties behind Ashley, picking her up off the ground. “ASHLEY!” he shouted, running to the other side of the truck. More putties showed up, grabbing Tommy from behind.

Ashley kicked off the truck, trying to gain leverage and pull herself up off the ground and pull them over her head. Instead, another putty grabbed her legs. Before Tommy could reach her, she disappeared in a flash of light. 

Kimberly was staring at the viewing globe, Ashley was stuck behind a force field. Her heart dropped to the pit of her stomach. “It seems that Rita has decided to take Ashley and has placed her in the cave of despair in order to gain control of her mind,” Zordon informed them.

“Where are the caves?” Jason asked.  
“They are high into the mountains, Goldar will be heavily guarding it’s entrance with an army of putties and a monster,” Zordon replied.

Kimberly rubbed her hands together nervously. “Let’s go get her,” she insisted. Jason nodded in agreement.

“IT’S MORPHIN TIME!” Jason shouted.  
“MASTADON!”  
“PTERODACTYL!”  
“TRICERATOPS!”  
“SABER-TOOTH TIGER!”  
“TYRANNOSAURS!”

In the caves, Ashley was pacing around nervously, jumping whenever she accidentally bumped into the force field. She let out a yelp, rubbing her help. She could feel a lot of sadness trying to engulf her but she shook her head slowly. She looked around for a weak spot in the force field. She bit her lower lip, taking a rock that was next to her feet she tossed it again and again. She covered her face whenever the rock bounced off the force field and she felt the rock nearly hit her in the head. 

She tossed the rock up into the air, smiling when the rock went over the force field and landed on the other side. She saw the big, gold flying monkey standing outside and she could hear the Power Rangers arriving to fight him. She looked to her right at the rock wall and started to climb up it, being careful not to slip and fall into the force field.

Kimberly did a back hand spring as the monster that was shaped like a wolf swung at her with its lance. “Kimberly, go get Ashley!” Jason called out.

“Right!” she answered, running into the cave.

Ashley jumped down and saw the Pink Ranger enter the cave when the monster grabbed her from behind. The Pink Ranger spun around and kicked the monster in the chest, but the monster grasped her ankle, throwing her backwards. The Pink Ranger attempted to grab her blaster, but the blaster was kicked out of her hand and it slid across the floor.

Thinking quickly, Ashley ran over to grab the blaster while the monster grabbed the Pink Ranger, slamming her up against the wall. 

Kimberly let out a grunt of pain, she felt her helmet pop when her head collided into the rock wall. “Oh no!” she gasped. The monster wrapped its fist around her throat, cutting off her airway. Suddenly, she heard a blaster fire and the monster rolled away from Kimberly shouting in pain. Kimberly looked over and she saw Ashley standing there with her blaster. Kimberly ran over to the girl when the monster stood up. 

The monster stood up and opened his long jaw, black magic left his mouth and towards them. Jason jumped in their path with his sword raised and he had on Tommy’s armor, protecting him. Kimberly and Ashley pushed on his back, their feet sliding across the dirt ground. “HANG ON!” Kimberly shouted.

“LET’S PUT THEM TOGETHER!” Jason called out when the monster ran out of energy.

Kimberly turned towards Ashley. “Step back!” she called to the girl. Ashley nodded, running behind the nearest rock wall as the other Power Rangers entered the cave.

“POWER AXE!”  
“POWER BOW!”  
“POWER DAGGERS!”  
“POWER LANCE!”  
“POWER SWORD!”

Ashley watched in amazement as their weapons came together creating an even bigger weapon. They fired an energy beam into the monster and it exploded with a howl. Ashley covered her eyes, but when she lowered her arms, her eyes went wide when she saw the Pink Ranger’s helmet laying on the ground. “Oh, no!” Kimberly gasped as she bent down to pick the helmet up.

Kimberly looked up and hers and Ashley’s eyes locked. Ashley stared at her in disbelief as she stepped out from behind the rock wall. “Oh great…” Kimberly muttered.

“It was you all along?” Ashley signed.

Kimberly bit her lower lip, looking at the others. Slowly, Ashley watched as each Ranger removed their helmets, revealing her friends. Ashley was completely dumbfounded, everything made sense. Their watches going off, the way they would disappear just as monsters would arrive, and why those gray putty things would attack whenever they had the chance. “You’re the Power Rangers!” she signed.

“Yes,” Kimberly replied.

Jason reached for Ashley’s hand but she backed up away from them, she couldn’t help but feel betrayed by their lies. “Listen, we can explain later but we have to get out of here,” Jason insisted. Ashley looked around but then she reluctantly agreed and they rushed out of the caves.

They made their way back to the park and Ashley was sitting on her swing when Tommy showed up. “What happened?” Tommy asked.

“She knows,” Kimberly replied.

Tommy looked over at Ashley. “Oh man…” he muttered, “Is she okay?”

“She’s in shock, and who can blame her?” Zack answered.

Kimberly twisted her ring around on her finger as she looked at Tommy. “Does Zordon know?” he asked.

“Probably, but I think he’s just giving us a moment to make sure she’s okay before bringing her to the Command Center,” Jason explained.

Tommy nodded as he walked over to Ashley.

Ashley looked up as Tommy walked over and she swung back and forth a little. “Hey,” he greeted gently as he sat in the swing next to hers. Ashley looked at her friend.

“You’re a Power Ranger too?” she signed.  
“I used to be,” he replied, “Rita drained me of my powers, I had just enough time to pass them over to Jason before she could take control completely.”

Ashley looked at the ground. “You know they never meant to lie to you,” he told her gently, “They just have their own rules they have to follow.” 

“I know,” she signed, “For some reason, I always felt like I knew but I didn’t want to believe it.”

Tommy rested his hand on her shoulder and Ashley looked at Kimberly and stood up from the swing. Tommy wrapped his arm around her shoulders as they walked back up the hill.

Kimberly held her arms open for Ashley, Ashley wrapped her arms around Kimberly’s waist and the two sisters embraced tightly.

Later, they teleported her to the Command Center. Ashley looked around in disbelief and she let out an audible gasp. They saw the huge smile on her face as she raced around to look at all of the machines and computers that surrounded the room. “She loves this,” Trini commented.

“Very much so,” Billy agreed as Trini gave him a smile.

Alpha walked around the corner. “Oh good, you’re here!” he said excitedly, “Ai, yi, yi, we were getting anxious.” Ashley walked around Alpha curiously. It was a real walking, talking robot! Her father would’ve loved this!

Ashley stared at Alpha, reaching out slowly, she poked him in the shoulder a couple of times. “He’s real,” she signed to the group as they laughed lightly.

“He’s very real,” Zack answered.  
“Welcome, Ashley,” Zordon greeted, making Ashley look up.

Ashley’s brown eyes grew even wider when she saw Zordon. “I am Zordon of Eltar, I have to say it is an honor to meet you, Ashley. I had the opportunity to meet your father many years ago,” Zordon informed the girl. Ashley’s stomach twisted a little.

“You knew my, dad?” she signed.  
“I did, he was a good man,” Zordon replied, “I was sorry to hear about his untimely passing.”

Ashley lowered her eyes to the floor. “He very much enjoyed learning about Eltar and other galaxies. He had very much hoped to one day explore them,” Zordon added. Ashley lifted her eyes back to him. “Now that you know the truth, I must uphold you to the same promise that he had made. You must never reveal the identity of the Power Rangers and the location of our Command Center, no one must ever know,” Zordon informed her, “Will you keep everything you see a secret?”

Ashley looked around, walking in a circle before looking back at Zordon. “May I come and explore your Command Center?” she signed.

“Yes,” Zordon replied.  
“I promise,” Ashley signed immediately with a smile.

Kimberly embraced Ashley and the two girls laughed a little as they held onto each other. Zordon just smiled, staring at the young girl as the team happily welcomed her into their world.


	7. One Year Later

Ashley was sitting on the floor in the Command Center, going over some of the many books that were there. “Ashley, you leave such a mess with all your books,” Alpha whined.

“Let the girl explore,” Zordon answered the robot.

Ashley looked at Zordon and stood up. “How did my dad know about you?” she signed.

“Your father was friends with a mutual ally of mine. He had brought your father here needing his scientific expertise to fix our Command Center,” Zordon explained.

Ashley was pacified with this answer, when she noticed that he wasn’t going to divulge any further information. The alarms started to blare through the Command Center and Ashley stood up, gathering her belongings. “Contact the Rangers, Alpha,” Zordon instructed the robot. Ashley walked over, hitting the buttons on the computer for Alpha.

The next morning, Ashley was getting ready for class when she suddenly felt like someone was watching her. She turned around and she grabbed her heart with a gasp. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you,” the boy who was standing there commented. He had chin-length jet-black hair, and dark brown almost black eyes. “My name is Carlos Vallerte, I’m new in town and I was just trying to find someone who will show me around,” he added. 

Ashley raised her brow. “I might not be the best tour guide,” she signed. Carlos suddenly looked really guilty.

“Sorry, I can’t speak sign language,” he informed her.

Ashley held up her finger, telling him to hold on a second, and she wrote it down on her notebook, showing it to him. Carlos gave her a smile. “Could you at least point me to the biology lab?” he asked. Ashley started writing in her notebook.

“I have that too,” she wrote, showing it to him.  
“Well, would you show me?” he asked.

Ashley nodded as they walked towards their class.

During lunch that day, Carlos was walking out of the cafeteria to the school grounds with his tray, looking for Ashley when he saw Ashley sitting at a picnic table with a bunch of girls sitting around her. He approached the table thinking they were her friends but then he saw the uncomfortable look on her face. “Hey, what’s going on here?” he asked.

“Nothing, just asking Ashley about the biology project,” a blond girl replied, twisting her hair around her finger.

Ashley was staring at her plate silently. “Yeah, it doesn’t look like it from here,” Carlos answered, “How about you turn around and walk away?”

“Or what?” the girl asked, flipping her hair.

Carlos glared before he reached for Ashley’s hand. “Come with me,” he told her. Ashley looked at him confused, but Carlos kept his hand outstretched to her. Ashley grasped Carlos’s hand and they left that part of the courtyard.

“Thank you,” she signed.  
“Who were they?” he asked as they sat down in the grass instead.

Ashley grabbed her notebook, writing in it. “The girls here like to pick on me because of my lack of speech,” she wrote. Carlos rolled his eyes.

“Their thoughts don’t matter,” he answered.  
“I know,” She wrote, “Doesn’t make it easier some days.”  
“I can understand that,” he answered as he took his seat next to her.

Ashley started writing in her notebook. “What brings you to Angel Grove?” she wrote.

“My dad’s job transferred him out here. He works for a big marketing company, so sometimes we just have to pick up and go when other companies offer him bigger contracts,” he replied.

Ashley frowned. “That sounds difficult to stay in one place,” she wrote. Carlos shrugged his shoulders.

“It’s not often, I think this is my third move since middle school,” he replied.

Ashley smiled at his optimism. “Yeah, I guess the last manager begged to be transferred over to Los Angeles, I mean, I don’t get why. It’s nice here,” he commented. 

“Angel Grove is a bit different, do you watch a lot of news?” she wrote.  
“Not really, I’m kind of busy with soccer practice and everything. I don’t keep up on the current events,” he replied honestly.

Ashley raised her brow at him and smiled just a little before the bell rang signaling that lunch was over.

After school, Ashley took Carlos over to the Youth Center when Kimberly stood up from her chair. “Ashley!” she called out. Ashley tugged on Carlos’s arm and pulled him over to the table. “Hi!” Kimberly greeted Carlos, surprised to see him there.

“Kimberly, this is Carlos, he’s new to Angel Grove,” Ashley signed.  
“Hi, Carlos, I’m Kimberly. This is Jason, Trini, Zack, and Billy,” Kimberly informed him, gesturing to each person who waved.

Then she gestured to the other side of the table. “And that is Rocky, Adam, and Aisha,” she added. 

“Welcome to Angel Grove,” Adam greeted as he shook Carlos’s hand.  
“Thanks,” Carlos answered as they sat down.  
“How do you like it?” Trini asked.  
“It’s quiet at least. I came from San Francisco and the traffic is insane,” Carlos replied.

Kimberly gave Ashley a pointed look. Ashley just shrugged her shoulders when Ernie walked over to the table with a cup. “Here you go Ashley, a vanilla milkshake as always,” he commented.

“Thank you,” Ashley signed to him smiling, “This is Carlos.”  
“Hey, Ernie, welcome to the Youth Center and Juice Bar, what can I get you?” he asked.

Carlos was about to answer when Tommy rushed up the stairs. “Hey guys, sorry, I got caught up,” he commented.

“It’s okay, this is Carlos. He’s new to town,” Kimberly told her boyfriend.  
“Hey, nice to meet you, man,” Tommy answered, shaking Carlos’s hand.  
“Thanks,” Carlos said with a smile and a nod.

Carlos looked at Ashley. “You have quite the group of friends,” he commented. She signed and Trini smiled when she saw Carlos’s confusion.

“She said that we are pretty great and we will fight in your corner,” she answered.

Ashley smiled at Trini. “So what is going on with the Peace Conference?” she signed.

“We’re all working on our projects, talking with the other members, learning about how it all works,” Jason replied.  
“Do you know who will be picked?” Ashley asked.  
“They’ll make their announcements by the end of the week,” Trini replied.

Carlos stared at them confused. “There is this Global Peace Conference being held here. Three students are going to be selected to be part of it to go to Switzerland,” Zack explained.

“That’s actually quite the opportunity,” Carlos commented.  
“It’s definitely an experience worth hoping for,” Kimberly replied as Tommy wrapped his arm around the back of Kimberly’s chair.

Just then, their watches started beeping. Tommy cleared his throat and Ashley gave Kimberly a sad smile. “What’s going on?” Carlos asked.

“They have a meeting for the conference,” Aisha replied, “They had their watches on a timer just in case they lost track of time.”

Kimberly rushed by Ashley, giving her shoulder a squeeze before hurrying away. “Aren’t you guys part of it?” Carlos asked Adam.

“We are, but our time slot to meet with them is later,” Rocky replied.

Ashley took a sip of her milkshake as Aisha sat across from her.

Later that week, Ashley was sitting in the park when Jason ran up to her. “Ash!” he called out. Ashley looked up and smiled as she waved at him. “It’s official,” he informed her. Her eyes grew wide when she saw the pride in his eyes.

“You got it?” she asked.  
“Zack, Trini, and me all were picked,” he replied.

Ashley stood up with a shriek of excitement, hugging her friend tightly. Then realization hit and Jason set her back down on the ground. “What will happen with your powers?” she signed. 

“We’re figuring that out,” he replied.

Ashley frowned and she looked at the ground as they walked to meet with the others. “You’ll write right?” she signed, “And I don’t even care how boring the letters are or how short they are.”

“At least once a month,” he quipped.

Ashley gave him a playful glare and playfully pushed him. Jason wrapped his arm around her shoulders. “I’m going to miss you, Pretty Girl,” he added. Ashley wrapped her arm around his back. “Maybe next time I’m back in town, Carlos has had the guts to ask you out,” he commented. Ashley wrinkled her nose at him.

“We’re just friends,” she signed firmly.

Jason chuckled before hugging her tightly again as she hugged him back. “You never know, you’ll find someone who’ll make you happy,” he assured her. Ashley shrugged her shoulders a little.

“I’m not worried,” she signed, “I’m too young to worry about that kind of thing.”  
“You have a few years,” he agreed, making her smile.

Ashley was in the Command Center when Jason, Trini, and Zack had transferred their powers to Rocky, Adam, and Aisha. They were teleported out of the Command Center and Ashley leaned into Kimberly. Kimberly hugged her sister, kissing the top of her head. “They’re off to bigger and better things,” she assured her.

“I know,” Ashley signed, “I’m just going to miss them.”  
“Me too,” Kimberly agreed.

Later, Kimberly and Tommy were walking along the lake together, holding hands. “How’s Ashley?” Tommy asked. Kimberly shrugged her shoulders.

“You know how hard it is for her to be close to people. So, them leaving hit her a little hard,” she replied.

Tommy nodded his head slowly as their fingers entwined together. Kimberly felt his eyes on her and she couldn’t help but smile. “What?” she asked as she looked at him.

“Just admiring my girlfriend,” he replied.

He released her hand, moving his arm around her back. Kimberly wrapped her arm around his waist, leaning into him with a smile. “Listen, I have something I’ve been wanting to tell you,” he informed her. Kimberly stopped walking and looked up at him.

“Yeah? What’s going on?” she asked.

Tommy held onto her hands and she just smiled brightly. She could tell that he was really nervous and her smile faded a little. “Are you okay?” she asked.

“Yeah…I’m just trying to figure out how to say this,” he replied.

Kimberly gave his hands a squeeze. “Well unless you’re breaking up with me, you can tell me anything,” she quipped, making him laugh nervously. 

“That’s not happening anytime soon,” he assured her.

He looked at their hands. “Or ever actually,” he added. She was silent as Tommy looked at her. “Being with you…is like a breath of fresh air every time. Just…everything about you, your smile, your laugh, your kind heart. You’re a little stubborn at times, but even that’s cute,” he commented, earning a slight glare.

“Very funny,” she muttered.

Tommy just lifted her hands and kissed her knuckles lightly before letting out a deep breath. “What I’m trying to say is…I love you,” he admitted. Kimberly’s eyes grew wide and her heart stopped. 

“You do?” she asked.  
“More than anything,” he replied.

Kimberly let out a breath. “I love you too,” she answered, it was almost inaudible because of the amount of emotion in her voice. Her eyes were shining with unshed tears as she gave him one of her beautiful, wide smiles. Tommy wrapped his arms around Kimberly’s waist, lifting her up off the ground as she wrapped her arms around shoulders as he swung her around once. Even when he set her back on the ground, she held onto him. “I love you so much,” she added, burying her face into his shoulder. He let out a sigh of relief and they stood there on the beach, holding onto each other, never wanting to let go and having no reason to let go. This was what was worth fighting for.


End file.
